Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

ANALYSIS OF DIET AND PROXIMATE COMPOSITION OF FEW CREEK FISHES FROM VASAI CREEK, THANE DISTRICT (MAHARASHTRA)

B.M. Gore, B.A. Panicker and V.I. Katchi

Abstract

The present study was aimed to determine the diet and proximate composition of Tilapia mossambica, Boleophthalmus dussumieri, Mugil cephalus, Mystis vittatus, Parachaeturichthys ocellatus and Therapon jarbua from Vasai creek of Mumbai coast. The food items in the gut were graded by the method of Index of Preponderance. Diet composition revealed that T.mossambica and B.dussumieri were herbivores as the diet contained index value of 77.91% and 75.01% plant matter. M. cephalus and M. vittatus were omnivores as plant matter was 57.04% and animal matter was 38.5% in the former and plant matter was 35.52% and animal matter was 59.24% in the later. P.ocellatus and T.jarbua were carnivores with 60.18% and 96.83% animal matter. Proximate composition showed that protein was high in M.cephalus (15.62%) followed by P.ocellatus (14.47%), T.mossambica (14.08%), T.jarbua (13.91%), B.dussumieri (12.76%) and M.vittatus (11.85%).The lipid content was highest in T.jarbua (3.98%) and least in P.ocellatus (0.89%). High moisture content was recorded from P.ocellatus (80.05%) and low in M.cephalus (74.74%), while high carbohydrate was found in M.vittatus (2.25%) and low in T.jarbua (0.86%). The ash content ranged between 4.93% to 3.63%. The overall nutrient compositions of these fishes were in comparison with that of commercial fishes. Diet composition did not show any effect on the nutrient composition of these fishes